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Pikwe

Producer in Central, Botswana with commodities Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Sulfur, Platinum
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079575
MRDS ID W029603
Record type Site
Current site name Pikwe

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 27.83474, -21.91348 (WGS84)
Relative position NEAR PIKWE TOWN, 105 KM SE OF FRANCISTOWN AND 56 KM EAST OF THE RAIL LINE FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO RHODESIA.
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Geographic areas

Country State
Botswana Central

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Primary
Copper Primary
Cobalt Secondary
Sulfur Tertiary
Platinum Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE DEPOSIT CONTAINS 2.5 TIMES MORE SULFIDE THAN SELEBI.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Marcasite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore

Analytical data

Result THE RATIO OF PYRROHOTITE TO NICKEL IS APPROXIMATELY 30:1. IN THE NORTHERN LIMB ORE GRADE AVERAGES APPROXIMATELY 1% NI AND 1% CU. IN THE EASTERN LIMB THE ORE GRADE AVERAGES APPROXIMATELY 1.5% CU AND 2% NI. (BGR INTERN, 21.3.73) CU 1.08%, NI 1.14%, FE 24.90%, CO 0.07%, S 14.10%, CAO 3.90%, MGO 2.20%, AL2O3 8.70%, AG 6.71 PPM, SIO2 33.5%. MINERAL CONSTITUENTS OF PIKWE ORE AND THEIR APPROXIMATE DISTRIBUTION IN WEIGHT PERCENT. PYRRHOTITE 47.0, CHALCOPYRITE 3.5, PENTLANDITE 3.0, BRAVOITE 1.0, VIOLARITE TR, PYRITE 2.5, MARCASITE 1.0, "INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT" 1.0, MAGNETITE 3.0, ILMENITE TR, AMPHIBOLITE 14.0, CHLORITE 1.0, BIOTITE 7.0, SERICITE 1.0, FELDSPAR 9.0, QUARTZ 4.0, CARBONATE 0.5.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 13
USGS model code 7a
Deposit model name Synorogenic-synvolcanic Ni-Cu
Mark3 model number 19

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
    Rock unit name Mafic And Ultrymafic Rocks
    Rock description Mafic And Ultrymafic Rocks
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoarchean
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoarchean
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoarchean
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoarchean
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite
    Rock unit name Amphibolite
    Rock description Amphibolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 27.83474, -21.91348
ListMap

Geologic structures

Type Description Terms
Regional Limpopo Mobile Belt (2.660 To 2.000 My) The Upper Metasedimentary Group Is Correlated With The Messina Formation Of The Northern Transvaal
Local Three Main Phases Of Folding, Metamorphism

Ore body information

  • General form WEDGE,ARC SHAPED
    Dip 25 DEG. TO 60 DEG. WEST
    Thickness 38M
    Depth to bottom 365M
    Length 2000M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Archean Greenstone Belt, Mafics, Ultamafics, Amphibolite, Intrusive Pyroxenite

Comments on the geologic information

  • THERE ARE THREE STRUCTUAL ZONES WITERN MARGINAL ZONES AND A COMPLEXLY FOLDED CENTRAL ZONE.THE SELEBI-PIKWE AREA LIES IN THE NORTH OF THE CENTRAL ZONE, JUST SOUTH OF AN EAST-NORTHEAST TRENDING SHEARE ZONE MARKED BY THE LETLHAKANE FAULT, AT THE BOUNDRY BETWEEN THE NORTH MARGINAL AND THE CENTRAL ZONE. THE OREBODY OF PIKWE IS ARC SHAPED AND CAN BE DIVIDED INTO A NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LIMB.THE DEPOSIT ITSELF CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THE FOLLOWING THREE ZONES. ZONE A:MASSIVE SULFIDE IN GREY GNEISSES (2.5 % NI + 1.5 % CU,ZONE B: AMPHIBOLITE WITH HANGING WALL SULFIDES (0.8 % NI + 0.8 % CU), ZONE C: MINERALIZIZED AMPHIBOLITE. THE SERPENTINITE ULTRAMAFIC BODIES CHARACTERISTICALLY HAVE A HIGH MG0 CONTENT, LOW FE/MG RATIO AND LOW CAO AND AL203 CONTENT. THE AMPHIBOLITE GROUP HAS A CONSIDERABLE LOWER MGO AND HIGHER CAO AND AL2O3 CONTENT.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both metallic and non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1966
Discoverer Geologist Of Bamangwato Caons. Ltd.
Discovery method Geophysical Anomaly
Year of first production 1974

Mining district

District name Gabarone, Selebi-Pikwe

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Bamangwato Concession Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Ore Milled 1.18 % Ni,1.01 %Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
    Ore Nickel Nickel 1wt-pct
  • Year 1975
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Ore Milled 1.15 % Ni,0.94 %Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
    Ore Nickel Nickel 1wt-pct
  • Year 1976
    Period 1973-1976
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^1.06% Ni, 0.86% Cu, 1974-1979
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
    Ore Nickel Nickel 1wt-pct
  • Year 1976
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Ore Milled 1.07 % Ni,0.86 % Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
    Ore Nickel Nickel 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • DESIGNED CAPACITY ABOUT 545,000 T OF CONCENTRATE PER YEAR. THE FLASH SMELTER IS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE 42,000 T OF HIGH GRADE MATTE PER YEAR CONTAINING 1,275 T OF NICKEL AND 17,400 T OF COPPER TOGETHER WITH AN ESTIMATED 105,700 T OF SULFER. MATTE CONTAINS 42% CU, 35% NI, 20% S (PRODUCED IN A FLASCH SMELTER).

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Total resources 31,000,000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.35 wt-pct Nickel Major 1972
    Copper Cu 1.1 wt-pct Copper Major 1972

Comments on the workings information

  • THE OPEN PIT IS SCHEDULED TO HAVE FINISHED PRODUCTION LIFE IN 1980.

Comments on development

  • TWO SHAFTS HAVE BEEN SUNK TO A DEPTH OF 400 METER. UNDERGROUND EXPLORATION DOWN TO 1168 METER. 6500 T PER DAY. THE CONCENTRATOR IS DESIGNED TO TREAT 5500 T OF ORE PER DAY. ; TOTAL$: 280 ; ECON.COM: 1976 IT IS SLOWLY OVERCOMING ITS START-UP PROBLEMS

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS W029603

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PETERS H.D.: NICKEL,1975

  • Deposit

    GORDON P.S.L.: THE SELIBI-PIKWE NI/CU DEPOSITS, BOTSWANA

  • Deposit

    WAKEFIELD J.: THE GEOLOGY OF THE PIKWE CU-PROVINCE, EASTERN BOTSWANA

  • Deposit

    CANADIAN MINERALS YEARBOOK,1977

  • Deposit

    DEYOUNG AND OTHERS, 1985: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 930-D.

  • Deposit

    ENG. MINING JOURNAL, JANUARY, 1979, P. 180.

  • Other Database

    ISMI

  • Production

    DEYOUNG AND OTHERS, 1985

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE OCCURS AS A CONCORDANT SILL-LIKE BODY WITHIN GNEISSIC COUNTRY ROCKS.
Deposit AS OF 11-87, THIS RECORD CONTAINS DATA FROM M047038 WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM THE DATA BASE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1977 Saam, Henning G. U.S. Geological Survey